The 15 Most Stylish Halloween Costumes

James Bond

Bond might seem obvious, overdone, even, but trust us: If you have a well-tailored slim tux, with a pristine white shirt, and a manual bow tie (an ensemble every man should have in his repertoire anyway), you'll be the double-0 to every slouchy suit in a clip-on's Paul Blart, Mall Cop. And don't be afraid to adjust your cufflinks.

Travis Bickle and the M-65 jacket: It doesn't get any more iconically New York, insane, and downright Scorcese-y than this. You might object to the haircut, but hey, if you, too, want to go out in a blaze of anti-heroic, postmodernist glory, it's pretty much a prerequisite.

The pinstripe suit, long the domain of smug bankers, has been making a comeback on the backs of fly dudes like Victor Cruz—but that doesn't mean you can't dial it back a couple decades to Patrick Bateman territory, doing it up with a contrast-collar shirt and a plastic raincoat. "Do you like Huey Lewis?" doubles as a great pickup line, until they get the reference and run away.

Local laws might get in the way of completing this look with a sawed-off shotgun and a vendetta against your brother's killers, but if you look as simultaneously suave and menacing as Michael Caine did in his three-piece suit, we doubt anyone (particularly the ladies) will mind.

The beauty of this getup, aside from the Mac being a fall staple you should own if you don't already, is that it's one that protects against those inevitable slushed-out Halloween nights, when all your friends (including the one dressed as your sidekick Snowy!) abandon you because of their skimpy, water-permeable costumes. It will, however, not protect you from your lousy grasp of French, so bone up, bon homme.

If you're the wallflowery type, standing and smiling amidst a crowded Halloween party in a striped red sweater will come naturally to you. Be sure to stick close to any barbershop poles, oversized peppermint candy canes, etc.

If you're just getting into this "style" business and still dress like a middle-aged dad (perhaps because you are one), then just don a porkpie hat, maybe make use of a Headblade, and look menacing. The hat will be of use again, once you've gone through the rest of the GQ makeover. See you on the other side!

Hat, $16.99, available at Target. Headblade classic, $13, available at Headblade.

The Royal Tenenbaums

To play Richie Tenenbaum, all you need is a sweet moleskin jacket, a FILA headband, and an unholy love for your stepsister. (We won't ask how the latter came so naturally.) Maybe play some Nico out of a boombox, for an ennui-filled Say Anything mashup that Wes Anderson would find "quite versimillitudinous," or whatever.

A great excuse to get all your sloppily dressed buds to get at least one item of clothing, a black suit, in a properly tailored, respectable form. If they show up in the baggy mess they wore to their last job interview, imply that they might be seeing the Tarantino shot in first person, very soon.

Step one, look like Ryan Gosling ("No sweat."—Everyone at GQ). Step two, get a snug-fitting denim jacket. Step three, stomp a dude's face into the linoleum. Even if you're one out of three, you're still left with a classic menswear item. Not bad, eh?

From Cary Grant to Don Draper to Tony Leung Chiu-Wai in In the Mood for Love, the gray wool suit is as iconic on screen as it is in real life. Pick the guy you most resemble, and just add Brylcreem: "a dab'll do ya," as the old tag line goes, but we suspect some of these guys might've done with a couple.

The 15 Most Stylish Halloween Costumes

Not really into the whole "Halloween" thing? Then use it as a great excuse to pick up some iconic menswear instead, with these outfits that will transition seamlessly from party costume to style cornerstone

Bond might seem obvious, overdone, even, but trust us: If you have a well-tailored slim tux, with a pristine white shirt, and a manual bow tie (an ensemble every man should have in his repertoire anyway), you'll be the double-0 to every slouchy suit in a clip-on's Paul Blart, Mall Cop. And don't be afraid to adjust your cufflinks.